Why Is It So Easy to Feel Sleepy and Tired in Summer?

In the clinic, we see a certain kind of patient: every summer, they lose their energy, their appetite vanishes, and they feel utterly exhausted. Most of them have simply resigned themselves to this annual ritual.

In fact, this is a perfectly normal physiological response. It suggests that these individuals are particularly sensitive to environmental changes — they “feel the weather,” so to speak. It may also indicate a deficiency of zheng qi (upright qi), leaving them less able to withstand external shifts.

Traditional Chinese Medicine holds that summer belongs to Fire, and so does the Heart. Improper self-care during summer therefore makes it easy to injure the Heart — and the Heart is the seat of vitality.

There are two main ways summer self-care goes wrong. The first is overexertion, which leads to excessive sweating. Too much sweat depletes qi, and when qi is insufficient, all manner of discomfort follows.

The second problem is an excessive craving for cold. Whether it is eating cold foods, sleeping in a cool breeze, or lying on cold floors, these sources of chill silently damage the body’s yang qi. When yang is insufficient, again, all manner of discomfort follows.

Thus, people are most vulnerable to yang damage once summer arrives. The best strategy for summer health, then, is to replenish qi.

There are many ways to replenish qi. Direct supplementation can be achieved with American ginseng (xi yang shen). Indirect supplementation is more involved.

First, one must determine whether excessive sweating is the issue. If so, the underlying cause of the sweating should be identified and treated accordingly — results are generally reliable.

Second, one should assess whether external pathogens have invaded, especially summerheat-dampness or cold. The appropriate approach — clearing heat and resolving dampness, or using acrid-warm herbs to dispel dampness — depends on the specific pattern.

This is precisely why formulas like Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui, Ren Dan, and Shi Di Shui (Ten Drops of Water) are such mainstays of summer medicine in China.

Following this line of reasoning, most people who feel drowsy and listless recover quickly once properly treated. That is the power of Chinese medicine.

我们在临床上能接触到这样一部分人，一到夏天就没精神，没胃口，感觉很疲乏，他们往往已经认命了。

其实这是一个很正常的生理反应，说明这部分人对于环境的感知能力比较强，能接天气，也有可能是正气不足，不能够抵御外界的变化。

中医认为，夏季属火，心亦属火，夏天如果保养不当，容易伤心，而心则是精力的象征。

夏季保养不当有两个主要问题，一个是劳动过多，导致出汗太多，汗出过多容易伤气，气不足，百般不适。

另一个问题是贪冷贪凉，不论是吃凉的东西还是吹凉风睡凉地，这些寒凉之气都会在不知不觉中损伤人体的阳气，阳不足，百般不适。

所以说，人进入夏季后最容易损伤阳气，所以夏季保健的最好方法就是补气。

补气的方法有很多，直接补可以用西洋参，间接补就复杂了。

首先要看是不是汗出过多，若是如此，则要找出汗出的原因，根据情况治疗，效果妥妥的。

其次要看是不是有外邪在内，尤其是暑湿、寒凉，应该分情况进行清热化湿，或者辛温祛湿。

这就是为什么藿香正气水、仁丹、十滴水之类的辛药会是夏季常用药的原因了。

按照这个思路，大部分昏昏欲睡没有精神的人经过治疗很快就好转了，这就是中医药的力量。